Overhead door structure



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OVERHEAD DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 11, 1954 2 SheetsSheet l JNVENTOR.HG. 650265 M/ Suoaom/ A TTOEA/EYS April 17, 1956 w, SJOBOEN OVERHEADDOOR STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 11, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 till, w)

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INVENTOR. 050265 W $105011! ATTOEA/EVS United States Patent OVERHEADnoon STRUCTURE George W. Sjohoen, San Diego, Calif., assignor to SteelDoor Corporation, Pontiac, Mich a corporation of Michigan ApplicationJanuary 11, 1954, Serial No. 403,265

10 Claims. (Cl. 20-19) This invention relates to door supporting andstabilizing structure which is especially adapted for use in overhead,receding type garage doors.

When an overhead type door is closed with its door panel in verticalposition, the weight of the panel bearing on supports at its uppercorners plus the confining effect of the door framing operate tostabilize the door panel against lateral movement. When the door isopened the panel moves upwardly, its upper edge recedes away from thedoorway, usually on rollers which are supported by tracks suspendedwithin the building, and its lower portion rides upwardly on supportarms pivoted on the door frame.

When the panel approaches a horizontal position substantially all of itslateral stability is provided by the inherent rigidity of the supportarm structure. In prior structures there has been insufficient rigidityto prevent the panel from wobbling and bumping against the sides of thedoor frame during opening and closing of the door. Such Wobbling andbumping is itself an annoyance and in time the door panel and framebecome marred and unsightly.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensiveoverhead door structure having sufiicient lateral stability to preventthe door panel from bumping against the door frame during opening andclosing of the door. A further object of the invention is to include inthe door structure convenient means for adjustably positioning the doorpanel within its frame. One form of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing a door made in accordance withthis invention mounted in a doorway.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the door in partly open position.

Fig. 3 illustrates some of the parts separate from the door panel andshowing a folded condition.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the door in open position.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the door in closed position.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6.

The door shown in the drawings has a body 1 supported at each side by asupport arm 2 mounted for swinging movement by means of a pivot 3journalled in a bracket 4 which is mounted on a frame 5 in turn securedto the door jamb 6 of a building. Mounted at the top of each side of thedoor panel 1 is a roller 7 carried by a track 8 suspended by suitablemeans within the building. A counterbalance spring 9 is connectedbetween the upper end of each support arm 2 as at 9a and frame member 5as at 9b. The door panel, at each side near its lower end, is providedwith a bearing stud 17 which extends inwardly and which may be mountedon the door by means of a bracket 18. Each arm 2 has an opening 19 forfitting over the bearing stud 17.

One end of a bearing arm 10 is pivotally secured, as by means of a rivetor the like, to the lower end of each support arm 2, as at 16, and atthe other end of each heating arm is a laterally extending portion 11having an opening 12 therein. Near each side of the door panel 1 is arib 13 with an elongated opening 14 therein. The door panel is pivotallyconnected to the bearing arms 10 by shoulder bolts 15 extending throughopenings 12 and 14 (Figs. 6 and 7), the bearing arms lying substantiallyon a common axis.

One end of a stabilizing element is pivotally riveted to an intermediateportion of each bearing arm 19 and each stabilizing element has anelongate aperture 21 at its other end. Each stabilizing element 20 isadjustably secured to a support arm 2 by a bolt 22 extending through theaperture 21 and through an opening 23 (Fig. 3) in the support arm.

In mounting the door, the rollers are placed in the overhead tracks. Thelower end of the door is pivotally connected to the arms 2 by the studs17, and the counterbalance springs are connected as shown. Theconnections between the stabilizing elements 20 and the arms 2, andbetween the bearing arm 10 and the rib 13 are preferably allowed toremain loose. it is preferable then to swing the door to open position,as shown in Fig. 4. It may be found at this time that the door is notproperly centered. This may be due to such factors as inaccuracies inthe building construction, inaccurate placement of the frame members 5on the building construction or variations in door parts normallyincident to their manufacture.

The door panel may now be straightened or centered by the shifting ofthe elongated slots 21 of the stabilizing elements relative to theirsecuring bolts and when the door is centered nuts 24 on the bolts 22,are tightened. In this adjustment there is a slight relative shifting ofthe door relative to the supporting arms 2 with pivotal action of thebearing arms 16 about their mountings 15. It is then preferable to movethe door to partially closed position leaving the shouldered bolts 15loosely mounted in the elongated slots 14 which extend in an up and downdirection. In this partial closing of the door the bolts 15 may shift intheir elongated openings and nuts 25 thereon are then tightened. Thisfixes the triangular reinforcing or stabiliz ng structure at theopposite lower ends of the door panel. It might be said that thestabilizing feature is of most importance and performs its principalfunction in that range of movement from full open position to partialopen position of the door; this partial opening is about the one-halfway position.

In the normal operation of the door to and from open and closedpositions there is a pivotal action of the studs 17 in the openings 23of the supporting arms, and similarly a pivotal action of the shoulderedbolts 15 in the ends of the bearin arms 19. Thus the door is pivotallyconnected at spaced points by a rigid truss or gusset structure and isheld strongly stabilized against lateral movement, particularly fromabout one-half Way open position to full open position. Thusobjectionable wobbling of the door in its operation is largelyeliminated. The stabilizing elements 20 are preferably curved or bowed,as shown, so that in open position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the headroom or clearance at the upper corners of the doorway is not materiallyreduced. The supporting arm 2, the bearing arm 10 and the truss orstabilizing element 29 on each side of the door, may be folded somewhatas indicated in Fig. 3 to facilitate shipment. The stabilizing structureis effective through the whole range of movement of the door thoughespecially effective in partially open positions as described.

I claim:

1. An overhead door structure comprising, means forming a frame adaptedto be secured to jambs defining a I doorway, a door panel, support meanssupporting the door panel on theframe, said support means including ateach side of the door panel a support arm secured on said frame by afirst pivot and secured adjacent a lower edge portion of said panel by asecond pivotspaced from the first, said pivots having generallyhorizontal axes to facilitate swinging said panel in a verticaldirection to open and closed positions, a bearing arm rotatably securedon said support arm and extending laterally thereof in operativeposition, a stabilizing element extending angularly between said arms,said bearing arm being pivoted on the door panel generally coaxiallywith said second pivot, one end of the stabilizing element beingrotatably mounted on one, of said arms and the other end being shiftablysecured to the other arm whereby to adjust the position of the doorpanel relatively to the frame, and means securing the stabilizingelement rigidly to said arms when the door panel is properly positioned.

2. In an overhead door structure, the combination of a pivotally mountedsupporting arm, a door panel, means pivotally connecting the lowerportion of the panel to the arm, whereby pivotal movement of the armsshifts the lower portion of the door from lower closed position to upperopen position, a bearing arm pivotally secured to the supporting arm onan axis at a right angle to the pivotal connection between thesupporting arm and door panel, said bearing arm extending inwardly ofthe door panel, a pivotal connection between the inner end of thebearing arm and the door panel on an axis generally coinciding with theaxis of connection between the supporting arm and door panel, saidpivotal connection being shiftable generally in the plane of said doorpanel for adjusting the position of said bearing arm, a stabilizingelement extending across the angle formed by the sup porting arm and thebearing arm, means pivotally connecting the stabilizing element to onearm on an axis substantially parallel to the first mentioned axis, meansslidably connecting the stabilizing element to the other arm, meansoperable to fix said stabilizing element rigidly on said arms, and meansoperable to fix said pivotal connection in adjusted position.

3. In an overhead door structure of the type wherein a door panel ismounted adjacent its lower edge on vertically swinging support arms, astabilizing structure for the lower edge of the door which comprises, abearing arm connected to and extending laterally of each support arm andbeing attached to said door panel in a pivot, said pivots beingshiftable for adjusting the positions of said bearing arms, astabilizing element extending across the angle formed by said supportarm and bearing arm and being shiftably attached thereto, whereby toadjust the relative positions of the support arms and door panel, meansoperable to secure said stabilizing members rigidly to said support armand bearing arm, and other means operable to fix said pivots in adjustedrelation.

4. A door structure comprising, means forming a frame adapted to besecured to members defining a doorway, a door panel, support meanssupporting the door panel on the frame, said support means including atopposite sides of the door panel a support arm, first pivot meansconnecting each support arm to said frame, second pivot means connectingeach support arm to said panel, said first and second pivot means beingspaced from each other, a bearing arm rotatably secured on said supportarm and extending laterally thereof in operative position, means forminga pivotal connection between said bearing arm and said door panel, saidpivotal connection being shift- .able for adjusting the relativepositions of said bearing arm and said door panel, a stabilizing elementextending angularly between said bearing arm and support arm, meansrotatably mounting said stabilizing element on one of said arms andmeans shiftably securing said stabilizing element to the other of saidarms, whereby to adjust the position of said door panel relatively to'said frame, and means operable to secure said stabilizing elementrigidly to the last mentioned arm when said door panel is properlypositioned.

5. The door structure defined in claim 4 wherein said door panel isprovided adjacent each lower corner with a vertically extending rib withvertical slotted means therein, the pivotal connection of said bearingarm and rib including means engaging in said slotted means so that saidpivotal connection can be adjusted vertically.

6. The door structure defined in claim 5 wherein said means engaging insaidslotted means is operable to fix said pivotal connection in adjustedposition. 7

7. A door structure comprising, frame means adapted to be secured tojambs defining a doorway, a door panel, a pair of support arms atopposite sides of said panel, said support arms being pivoted onsaidframe means and being pivoted on said door panel adjacent its loweredge,

the axes of the pivots being generally horizontal so that said doorpanel can be swung vertically to open and closed positions, a bearingarm pivoted on the lower end of each support arm for swinging in a planegenerally parallel to the plane of the door panel, said door panelhaving adjacent each lower corner a generally vertically extending rib,said ribs being vertically slotted, each bearing arm having an inner endconnected to said rib through pivot means, the axis of said pivot meansbeing generally parallel to the axes of the first-mentioned pivots,means on said pivot means shiftably engaging within the slots in saidribs so that the inner ends of said bearing arms can be verticallyshifted for adjusting the alignment of said bearing arms, said means onsaid pivot means being operable to fix said bearing arms in adjustedposi tion, a stabilizer pivoted on each bearing arm for swinginggenerally parallel with the plane of said door panel, means slidablysecuring each stabilizer on a support arm, so that said stabilizer canbe shifted for adjustingthe relative positions of said door panel,support arms and frame, means operable to fix said stabilizer inadjusted position, said stabilizers having a relatively smallerthickness and relatively greater width in the plane of said door panelto provide rigid support for said structure.

8. A door structure of the type defined in claim 4 wherein one end ofsaid stabilizing element is pivoted on said bearing arm and the otherend of said stabilizing element is shiftably secured to the support arm.

9. The door structure defined in claim 4 wherein said stabilizingelement is bowed toward the edges of the door panel to increase doorwayclearance while maintaining the efiicacy of said stabilizing element.

10. The door structure defined in claim 4 wherein said stabilizingelement is substantially rigid, having a relatively greater width and arelatively smaller thickness,

said stabilizing element being disposed so that its width dimension liesgenerally parallel to the plane of said door panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent' UNITED STATES PATENTSViolante Aug. 19, 1947

